A&E unleashes Dog the Bounty Hunter

HONOLULU (KHNL) - One local celebrity is out of the doghouse and back onthe air. Duane "Dog" Chapman is returning to television screens for a brandnew season 5 of "Dog The Bounty Hunter.""We all plan to celebrate with a toast and cake, a lot of laughter andtears," said Chapman's publicist Monica K. Wood.The show was pulled from the air in November 2007 after a taped phoneconversation of Chapman making a racial slur about his son's AfricanAmerican girlfriend was made public.Chapman immediately apologized publicly for his verbal mistake but wasunsuccessful in persuading A&E television executives to forgive him untilnow.An A&E spokesperson said the network felt Dog deserved a second chance.Averaging two million viewers per episode the show hunts for fugitives hasbeen one of the most popular reality series in the history of television.The new shows will begin airing tomorrow night at 6pm picking up from theend of last season.
Courtesy Of KHNL News.

California Company Buys Hilo Hattie

TOC Inc. which owns a chain of hair salons in Hawaii has purchased the Hilo Hattie stores. Founded by Jim Romig of Kauai in 1963, Hilo Hattie was known by many as Hawaii's store which features a large line of Hawaiian clothing, art, music, foods and more.

World's Longest Fresh Flower Lei

May 1st is Lei Day in Hawaii and this year was their 81st. The annual event took place at Kapiolani Park on Oahu where hundreds of visitors came together to create the longest fresh flower lei ever recorded. The lei extended over one mile giving it the honor of an entry in the Guiness Book Of World Records.

Honolulu created over a mile of Aloha! I wonder if next May 1st they will try to outdo it? If you are on Oahu next year at this time, you should experience this cultural event.

Maui Mike

Sulfur Gas Closes Volcanoes National Park

Sulfur dioxide levels have reached the closure level in the summit area of the park.

Park Superintendent Cindy Orlando has ordered the closure of the park until further notice.
"Our primary concern is for the health and safety of visitor and employees," Commander Joe Molhoek. " We're in close contact with the National Weather Service and look forward to favorable winds by week's end."
For the safety of everyone, park operations have been curtailed and park rangers are in the process of closing the park, inlcuding Kilauea Military Camp and Volcano House Hotel.
There is no immediate threat to anyone's safety. National Park Service emergency responders will remain on duty until further notice. The park will reopen when favorable winds return.

Halema'uma'u Crater Show

Aloha!

Halema'uma'u Crater has been quite active this past week. Maybe Pele, the goddess of fire is unhappy after two airlines shut down their services without much notice to its passengers?

Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park reopened after the trade winds carried away the sulfur filled air that caused about 2,000 people to relocate to Hilo.

I have walked atop this wonderful landmark on the Big Island and it is something you will always remember. If you are planning a vacation to Hawaii, try to visit the Volcanoes National Park.

Maui Mike

http://www.lovemyhawaii.com/

Keeping The Aloha Spirit

With all the bad news lately it get harder and harder to stay positive! People losing their retirements, businesses closing down, energy prices keep rising, not to mention tax time.

All this negative stuff can really get you down. But I have always been a positive thinker and a fighter. We all need to pray and hope for a brighter day and work at keeping our spirits up. It takes Aloha in our lives to keep us going when things get up down.

I'm lucky I have experienced Hawaii where people from all over the world have come together as one sharing Paradise. Hawaii too has its problems but overall they somehow to keep the Aloha spirit alive and when you come to the islands you can feel this where ever you go.

This intangible thing called Aloha needs to spread throughout the world. It will make for a better tomorrow for everyone.

The next time you down, visit my site and click on one of the players you can find on the home page and island pages. Just look at the images and enjoy the Hawaiian music. It will give you a lift like it does to me and I'm the one who put it together. Not to sell you something, but to share with you the Aloha Spirit that I come to love.

Maui Mike

http://www.lovemyhawaii.com/

ATA Airlines Files For Bankruptcy

Today, ATA Airlines announced that it has ceased all operations, cancelling all current and future flights. There are an estimated 9,600 ATA ticket holders in Hawaii who will need to rebook on other airlines to return to the mainland over the next week or two. Most ticketholders are on Oahu and Maui with smaller numbers on Kauai, in Hilo and Kona.

ATA is instructing its ticket holders to contact other airlines to rebook. Those airlines are not required to accept ATA tickets and passengers may be required to purchase one-way tickets to return home. A list of those airlines is provided below.

Many accommodations and airlines have already extended generous special considerations to passengers affected by the termination of Aloha Airlines’ passenger service earlier this week.

I sure there will be more offers available shortly from the other airlines to assist in this very sad week for people who travel to and from Hawaii.

Aloha Airlines Ends Service

"This is an incredibly dark day for Hawaii," said David A. Banmiller, Aloha's president and CEO. "Despite the grounds well of support from the community and our elected officials, we simply ran out of time to find a qualified buyer or secure continued financing for our passenger business. We had no choice but to take this action."
"Unfortunately, unfair competition has succeeded in driving us out of business, bringing to an end a 61 year old company with a proud legacy of serving millions of travelers in the true spirit of Aloha," said Banmiller. "We realize that this comes as a devastating disappointment to our frequent flyers and our loyal business partners who have supported this company for many, many years."
The unfair competition mentioned is "Go Airlines" that currently run flights between islands for $49 per seat one way. Their advantage is they use smaller aircraft reducing the ever growing fuel costs.

My Honolulu Friends

Aloha,

I forwarded an email to many of my friends today which put tears in my eyes when I read it. A story about a little girl who had lost her dog. This is the email:

This is one of the kindest things I've ever experienced. I have no way to know who sent it, but there is a beautiful soul working in the dead letter office of the US postal service.

Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my 4 year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so she dictated these words:

Dear God, Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick. I hope you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and to swim. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her, You will know that she is my dog. I really miss her. Love, Meredith.

We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had. Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed 'To Meredith' in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, 'When a Pet Dies.' Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey & Meredith and this note: Dear Meredith, Abbey arrived safely in heaven. Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away. Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don't need our bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets to keep your picture in, so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by. Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you. I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much. By the way, I'm easy to find, I am wherever there is love. Love, God

My dear friends in Honolulu who had three yorkies sent me this reply:

Got your e-mail about the dog Pasha is now playing with Abbey. His trachea collasped and they couldn't operate on him. We had to put him to sleep. Aloha Jim, Camille, Monique and Lolita

Just remember my Aloha friends, "Live & Love in your minds today, we may not see a tomorrow"

Maui Mike

New Online Go Aloha Travel Planner

Aloha,
LoveMyHawaii.Com has just added a new online travel & vacation planner to assist you prior to visiting our Aloha state, Hawaii.
The planner consists of the important details you should consider when planning such a trip.
We also will provide helpful suggestions as a followup once your information is processed.
This service is free.

Sad News From Molokai Hawaii

MAUNALOA, Molokai (KHNL) -- One of the largest employers on Molokai isshutting down its operations.Molokai Ranch plans to shut down at the end of March and will lay-off morethan 120 staff.Company CEO Peter Nicholas said the staff had been advised of the company'sdecision. Nicholas said the decision is purely business."Unacceptable delays caused by continued opposition to every aspect of theMaster Plan means we are unable to fund continued normal companyoperations," he said.Operations to be shut down include the Molokai Lodge, the Kaupoa BeachVillage, the Kaluakoi Golf Course, the Maunaloa gas station, the MaunaloaTri-Plex theatre, cattle-rearing and the company's substantial maintenanceoperations.Nicholas said the company will close all access to its propertyindefinitely.

Courtesy of KHNL News

Featured Molokai Website

Today, on the Molokai Hawaii page is our featured website in the form of a picture video show with Hawaiian music.
MolokaiRanch.Com is the featured site which has much to offer for such a small yet peaceful island. Lots of activities, great food, beautiful hotel and more.
Check it out at: http://www.lovemyhawaii.com/molokai.htm.

Maui Mike